Book Description

In 1864, during the Civil War, the C.S.S. Hunley became the first submarine in the world to sink an enemy ship. The Hunley and its crew mysteriously vanished. What happened on that cold winter night? After over a century, scientists finally have some of the answers. ... Read more

Book Description

Faces of Courage: Young Heroes of World War II is an inspiring compilation of twelve stories of courageous teenagers from all across Europe who resisted the Nazis.

There is Kirsten, a Danish girl who helped save a group of Jewish children from the Nazis. Jacob, a young Pole, survived the Holocaust by concealing his Jewish identity and working in a German armament factory. Jacques Lusseyran, a blind French boy, organized a student resistance group called the Volunteers of Liberty. The Edelweiss Pirates were a group of German teenagers who opposed The Hitler Youth and aided homeless runaways from reform schools and labor camps.

All of these young people displayed enormous courage in the face of adversity and risked their lives to stand up for what they believed in. ... Read more

Book Description

True stories...
Real voices...

"The day for deportation arrived. We knew our end was near." -- Janina Heshele, Poland

From the centuries-old enmities of Northern Ireland, to the Holocaust and World War II, to the Israel-Palestine conflict, young people share their innermost secrets of growing up.

"I'm not allowed to go out with Neil, but the attraction is there between us. I realise that here in Northern Ireland relationships between Catholics and Protestants are strained. But should religion affect how you view a person?" -- Lisa Burrows, Northern Ireland

Unable to talk openly, these young people took refuge in writing. Often they had to hide their journals and set down their thoughts in secret.

"The Intifada -- that was the start of my grown-up life....The echoes, the ghosts, and the voices make me wonder: Will I ever be able to forgive and forget? Will time ever bury such a tragedy and help me to start over again as a normal human being?" -- Ghareeb, the West Bank

On these pages they vividly record their experiences and offer eyewitness accounts of fear and courage, tragedy and triumph. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Really Good
This is an excellent book. If you are into the Holocuast I recomend this.... or really if your into word conflicts really.
It starts out telling about kids caught up in the holocuast.... and if you are a history fanatic, you'll really get into it. Then it goes on to tell about the troubles in northeren Ireland, you know Protestants,, and Catholics. then it tells about the Ireali, Palestini conflicts. You get to see the conflicts through the eyes of children, and see how they feel about it. On the part about Ireland, some of the kids were like... does it matter....? Why do we hate them.... their people too....

Conflicts of young lives during World War II
Hey, I don't know if any of you kids are interested in Holocaust or World war II books but if you are and want to know what kids went through during those times read this book.

Conflicts of World War II
After reading Why Do They Hate Me, I realized it was a goodbook. The book is based on stories about young Holocaust children whokept a diary before they were taken to a concentration camp. At one point on the book, a young girl mentions that her family owned an illegal radio set. My opinion on that is that it's wrong because all people were made to be equal. There are many stories about these children in the book. They explain how they couldn't go to their school they went to and other things they couldn't do because they were Jewish. This book is a good thing if you are learning about things from the Holocaust. My recommendations would be to all readers because you could always learn new things about history. END

Why Do THey Hate Me?
This book was great. I liked the Holocaust and World War II section the most. It is a book that is put together by many childrens diaries that were written during the Holocaust. One of the Children, Janine Phillips, was even shot at by Nazi soldiers, but survived. She lived in the Warsaw Ghetto. Her diary tells aboout how the Nazi's came and took it over. In the diary of Dirk Van der Heide it tells how his mother is killed by an air raid and he was forced to leave Holland. It also tells how him and his family try to escape Europe to find refuge in the United States. I would recomend this book to teenagers and adults because it does have some pretty violent situations. This book is all about conflicts between races and religious groups.

Teaches People All About Racial and Religious Descrimination
This book was full of exerpts from the diaries of children in the middle of war, and contained essays, too. It shows privileged people who think they have a miserable life that there are children who go to school wondering if they will ever come home again. I would recommend this book to people of all ages and interests! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A simple way to introduce your children to the Civil War...
My kids find the Fandex format easy to use, and the information on them accessible. We have several, and they're fun for all of us to use together.

This Fandex is a little different than some others, as it's not a field guide or atlas, but rather a sort of timeline or chronology of a period of history in America. It begins with the causes of the war, describes secession, touches on significant events during the war, talks about the political issues behind the war, and has a number of pages featuring important persons as well as significant battles. I am not a Civil War scholar, so I cannot comment on the accuracy of the information presented. But I find this an interesting way to introduce the topic to my children.

The only quibble I have about these decks is that sometimes when they're completely fanned out, the edges of the illustrations get caught up in each other, making it hard to close them properly. But other than that, they're cute, informative, and a nice format for kids. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Who won the War of 1812? You decide...
Historians like to argue about whether or not the United States won the War of 1812, and when young readers finish this Cornerstones of Freedom volume by Andrew Santella they will have an idea why an argument can be made the U.S. lost. After all, the war "ended" with the Battle of New Orleans, which actually took place after the Treaty of Ghent had been signed. You might have heard of that, but Santella also tells how the U.S. declared war on Britain after Lord Castlereagh had finally removed restrictions on American trade. Ah, the joys of getting important news back and forth across the Atlantic Ocean early in the 19th-century. Santella does a nice job of explaining how the two countries ended up fighting a war that probably should not have been fought and then provides enough details about the actual battles to pretty much convince you that neither side won. Young students will also understand why the Americans considered it a "Second American Revolution," which indicated that win, lose or draw American independence was confirmed. Santella also talks about writing of "The Star Spangled Banner," which is the focus on another volume in this excellent series.

The book is illustrated with historic paintings, illustrations and etchings of the major figures and events of the War of 1812 such as James and Dolly Madison, Generals Andrew Jackson and William Henry Harrison, the Battle of Lake Erie and the U.S.S. Constitution. Students and teachers interested in finding more information about various topics of interest in their American History textbooks will find the Cornerstones of Freedom series to be a great first place to look. ... Read more

Book Description

A Civil War drama told in sixteen voices, this ‘is a heartbreaking and remarkably vivid portrait of a war that remains our nation’s bloodiest conflict.… Fleischman’s artistry is nothing short of astounding.’ —Publishers Weekly. ‘Fleischman has done what he does best—create a unique piece of fiction with echoes of his poetry throughout.’ —H. ‘Outstanding… unforgettable as historical fiction… an important book for every library.’ —SLJ.

Notable Children's Books of 1994 (ALA)
1994 Best Books for Young Adults (ALA)
1994 Fanfare Honor List (The Horn Book)
Best Books of 1993 (SLJ)
1993 Books for Youth Editors' Choices (BL)

1994 Teachers' Choices (IRA)
Notable 1994 Childrens' Trade Books in Social Studies (NCSS/CBC)
1994 Notable Trade Books in the Language Arts (NCTE)
1994 Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction for Children
1993 Choices: The Year's Best Books (Publishers Weekly)
Children's Books of 1993 (Library of Congress)
1994 Books for the Teen Age (NY Public Library)
100 Books for Reading and Sharing 1994 (NY Public Library)

1994 Silver Medal for Literature (Commonwealth Club of California)
1994 Anne Izard Storytellers' Choice Award Winner (Westchester, NY Library System) ... Read more

Reviews (23)

The Review for Bull Run
Have you ever read a book about people and their perspectives of war? You would think that reading about history is boring, but the way that Paul Fleischmann describes the characters and writes the story line is great. Bull Run takes place at the battle of Bull Run in Virginia in the 1860s.
There are twelve main characters, all with different views on the war. For example, there is a boy, Toby Boyce, who just wants to kill a Yank. Others think that the war is crazy and does not want any part of it, like a young lady named Lily Malloy. Her brother is sent off to war, and all she does is sit in a spot on the grass and wait for him to return. She thinks that the whole idea of war is wrong. The book contains heartache, drama, and a lot of action.
I recommend this book to readers 12 and older because it would probably make more sense to them since they already know something about the battle. The book only has a few weaknesses, which are that it jumps from character to character, making it hard to remember the last thing they say. Since Fleischmann made the book "short and sweet", it is an easy read, but it could use a little more information about the war and less about what the people think. Everything else about the book is great. The author writes the story line very well, making it more interesting to the reader. I like the way the he writes the book in vignette-like format.
Overall, Bull Run is great and should be read by everyone who wants to be informed about the Battle of Bull Run. Reading this makes me feel more appreciative toward those who help us fight in times of trouble.

Bull Run
My book is Bull Run. It's a historical fiction book about the United States Civil War and the first battle of the bloodiest war in American history - "The Battle at Bull Run". The facts are real, but the characters in the story are not. The reason you should read this book is because you can learn more about the Civil War. Plus, the characters made you know what is felt like during the Civil War if you were either black or white.

I really, really liked this one!!
I really liked this book! I listened to it on Audio, so I don't know how it would be to read it, but I really like this! It's told from about... 5-10 people & on the Audio, they all had very good voices for the people. A MUST READ or a MUST HEAR! LOL

Bull Run a very facinating book.
Bull Run is a very good book. It takes place during the Civil War. At a battle at a river known as Bull Run. The book starts out in the South during a battle in South Carolina. Then the story goes into how the Confederacy (south) and the Union (north) got their troops for battle. Next it goes to the Confederacy and the Union marching to Bull Run. Then the book as the battle at Bull Run in which many men die and the river flows red with blood. Finally after the battle the Confederacy helps all those who are injured even the Union soldiers.
Some of my favorite characters were Gideon Adams a black who sneaks into the army to fight in a battle. Second, is Nathaniel Epp a photographer who becomes famous when he takes a picture of a soul leaving a man's body. Finally, is Toby Boyce a fifer who joined the confederate army band just to get a chance to kill a Yankee.
I like Bull Run because it well written. I like how the author Paul Fleischman put the story into the eyes of many different people. I also like war books. They interest me and I just can't put a book down that is a bout any type of war.
I'd recommend this book to someone who is fascinated by war stories or likes the Civil War. I would recommend this to someone like that because thats what the book is mostly based on. That is my review of the book Bull Run.

Bull Run
This book was about a African American man during the civil war. The man wants to get into the war. He has to sneeck into it because he is African but he has light skin so he coud pass as white. He gets cought a few times but then gets in. But what he finds out about war, he didn't expect.

I thought that this book was a very adventurous
book and I liked it alot because it cought my mind and right when i started reading it.

I would recommend this to anyone because I didnt think that I would like this book but i really did.

A reader that would like this book would be, a adventure-war reader. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

My Review of Vietnam
I enjoyed reading this book because Isserman describes in great detail the war and how it came to be. He not only uses true and astonishing facts about the war that I did not know, but he also provides real quotes and passages written by the soldiers during the time of the war. I also read first-hand accounts of how many of our political figures went about addressing the war publicly and privately. Myfavorite part of the bookwas learning about the reality of the war. I realized that many of the soldiers were not that much older than me and that they had to go through some of the most mentally terrifying and physically harsh times in the history of the United States. I also liked reading all of the background of the war so I know who was responsible for what and who was behind the enemy forces. Overall the book was fun to read because it was very factual and very formal. I suggest that you read it if you really want to know what went down in Vietnam. ... Read more

Book Description

They were the only unstoppable force in the ancient world-the Roman Army!

In the second century a.d., the Roman Empire was at the height of its glory. It was one of the largest and most successful empires the world has ever seen. From the rise of the Roman Empire until its decline and fall, its vast territories were conquered, absorbed, and ultimately defended by legions of professional, paid soldiers. At the height of their power, no tribe, no nation could stand in the way of this massive, disciplined, and fearsome fighting force. This is their story.

Set out with the Roman Army. Break camp, march, train, build, and fight-all in the name of the mighty Roman Empire. Join Dyan Blacklock and David Kennett on a breathtaking journey back in time, to an amazing and dramatic era. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Ideal reading for children ages 6 to 10
Ideal reading for children ages 6 to 10, Dyan Blacklock's The Roman Army is a wonderful introduction to the Roman army of the second century AD. Their responsibility was to protect and expand the Roman Empire. David Kennett's superbly illustrations perfectly showcase an informed and informative text. The Roman Army is a clearly recommended addition to any school or community library collection -- and "must" reading for any boy or girl wanting to know more about one of the most successful armies in antiquity. ... Read more

Book Description